Apple to Drop Home Button With iOS 4.3?

We all know that Steve Jobs doesn’t like buttons. Well, those multi-touch gestures that Chuong blogged about last night may not be just an add on. According to Boy Genius Report, Apple is looking at dropping the Home button on the iPad and perhaps the iPhone and controlling what we control now through touch gestures. This info is through sources so it is not a sure thing as is always the case when we start hearing rumors about new gadgets. Also keep in mind that the BGR report says “at some point in time.” That might mean with the next version of the devices and might also mean somewhere down the road.

Not quite sure how I feel about this. On some levels it makes some sense, but unlike Android devices rely on buttons for Home, Search, etc.. whether they are physical or embedded into the device without being a mechanical button, I would imagine some folks would not take to a strictly gesture approach. While things are certainly changing all over with devices, there’s something comforting about having a physical button to take you home again.

5 Comments

I would give the idea a fair shake if there was a clear explanation of how they would handle unfreeze, shutdown, and screenshot functions without the home button. I suppose they could move that functionality to a new button located elsewhere, perhaps next to the lock button, but that does not eliminate the button.

I would give the idea a fair shake if there was a clear explanation of how they would handle unfreeze, shutdown, and screenshot functions without the home button. I suppose they could move that functionality to a new button located elsewhere, perhaps next to the lock button, but that does not eliminate the button.